No easy answers for Chandler

Nets forward Wilson Chandler, who will forego the remainder of the season, said there’s no right or wrong answer to the question of whether to play in the NBA’s Orlando bubble.

“I respect anyone who’s going or anyone who’s not going,” Chandler said on the Court Vision Podcast. “For me personally, just the unknown with this whole COVID thing, and having a grandmother who just turned 87 and is battling all types of illnesses, and having young kids. I think it’s more important for me to be at home with my family taking care of my family.

“And then if you throw the whole social justice and everything that’s going on with police brutality and the government, it just makes it that much more difficult.”

The Nets signed journeyman forward Justin Anderson after Chandler’s announcement.

Chandler had taken over for Taurean Prince as the Nets’ starting power forward in the three games leading up to the March 11 coronavirus hiatus.

Those minutes now project to split between Prince, reserve forward Rodions Kurucs, and Anderson.

Chandler averaged six points, four rebounds and an assist for the Nets this season. He signed a one-year deal at the veteran’s minimum but was suspended for the first 25 games of the year due to a failed drug test.

It was Kenny Atkinson who made the decision to insert Chandler into the starting lineup in favor of Prince. Atkinson and the Nets parted ways shortly after, with Jacque Vaughn replacing him as the interim coach.

“Without (Atkinson) we don’t get to where we are now. It’s like that with a lot of different teams — you see the incremental steps to get to the place they are now. Without Mark Jackson, maybe Golden State doesn’t get to that championship,” Chandler said. “I can’t say cons because I don’t know the ins and outs of his departure. But the things he did do: He took guys who didn’t play much and he took guys who were kind of afterthoughts on other teams and he made them better. He made a lot of guys better and made them gel well on the court.”